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Liga Mundo Season 14
Liga Mundo Season 14 ran from May 3, 2012 to August 11, 2012. Whilst the number of teams remained at 24, there were two expansion teams joining the Tercera Liga while two established clubs folded. However, overshadowing this, the most notable change in the league was the sale and transfer of founding club Atlético Luz Del Mar during the off-season. In the wake of the firing of manager PremierApex / Cato Caledon by the club executive on April 15, 2012, the club was taken over by new management and renamed Marseille FC on April 17, 2012. The Fighting Sherms and Bethlehem FC joined Liga Mundo as new expansion teams - on April 4 and April 23, 2012 respectively - while both FC Jekerger and Pumas de Zacatecas were disbanded by league authorities and folded on April 25, 2012 to ensure the league remained at twenty-four clubs. Anfield Kopites FC also came under new management when Creichle took over the club after Malcolm Reynolds' resignation - renaming the club Connecticut Bomer FC on April 25, 2012. The league thus saw its first father-son management combination as Manager Creichle is the son of Manager Reichlep of founding club VolNation Volunteers. On April 29, 2012, in time for the start of the season, Commissioner Botha re-opened the Liga Mundo Hall of Fame. The new hall of fame - located adjacent to Neyland Stadium in VolNation - is divided into player and team sections detailing the various achievement records. The original hall of fame had been closed since the conclusion of Liga Mundo Season 5. The quarter-finals of Copa Cato VII saw a sweep of major upsets and the advancement of four underdog teams into the semi-finals round - guaranteeing the crowning of a never-before champion in the Copa Cato Cup. Ultimately, Copa Cato VII was won by Syracuse Salty Dogs. Due to scheduling affecting the commissioner, the league took a one-week break at the conclusion of Copa Cato, resulting in the last week of the season falling on August 9 instead of August 2, 2012 as originally scheduled. Final Standings Regular Season Primera Liga Statistics Leaders All-Star Team Segunda Liga Statistics Leaders All-Star Team Tercera Liga Statistics Leaders All-Star Team Costa Libertad Trophy (Team of the Month) The Costa Libertad Trophy for the Liga Mundo Team of the Month was inaugurated on June 1, 2012 as a team achievement award for all Liga Mundo teams. The trophy is named in honour of the former Cybernation Costa Libertad - which was the home of Liga Mundo's founder PremierApex. The trophy was awarded retroactively back to November 2011 (in Season 12) when the X11 Team of the Month award commenced. Retirements & Departures *'Chad Goodwin' (VolNation Volunteers) forward, aged 38 - a member of VolNation's original expansion roster in Season 1, Goodwin's career was definately marked by greatness. In 14 seasons, Goodwin had been a part of 7 titles and 7 cups won by VolNation over that time. Goodwin has also shown a great capacity for individual greatness in the Primera Liga, garnering merits for Most Points in the Primera Liga in both Seasons 4 and 7, second in the Primera Liga for goal-scoring in Seasons 2 and 6, second in points in season 3, second in assists in Season 4, third in scoring in Season 1 and 3, and third in points in Season 1. For his career, Goodwin also has all the characteristics of greatness. In 222 matches, Goodwin has 140 career points from 99 goals and 48 assists. He also had 53 X11 selections. In league play, Goodwin is 5th all time in the Liga Mundo and 3rd For VolNation in points with 107, in goals he is 5th all time in the Liga Mundo and second for VolNation with 77, in assists is 20th in the Liga (but 2nd among forwards) and 4th for VolNation with 30. He is also 5th among Liga forwards with X-11 nods with 37. Goodwin was released on August 18, 2012 after the cinclusion of Season 14. *'Vuk Popovic' (Dynamo Dorpat) - goalkeeper, aged 31. He played in 87 matches for Dynamo and departed Liga Mundo after being sold on June 11, 2012 for $2,010,204. *'Douglas Sparrow' (Templar Forsworn) - forward, aged 31. Sparrow, a striking legend with Templar, announced that he would take on a player coach role in the following season, moving his expertise off the pitch towards the training centre. Sparrow is the record goal scorer for the Forsworn, scoring 50 goals for the club across seven seasons from Season 8 until Season 14, which would likely had been more if he were not hampered by several repeated injuries during his career. His best season was Season 10 when he scored 13 goals and 17 points to lead the Primera Liga in both catagories that season. He retired after playing 113 matches. *'Hardy Allman' (Templar Forsworn) - fullback, aged 31. announced he will be looking to move back to his homeground club to help his club in a dire relegation battle. The club are sad to see him go but can't argue with the kind of desire and passion that Allman shows as it has been the driving force towards his 115 performances, and yet only one goal for the club. *'Chester Swaine' (Templar Forsworn) - midfielder, aged 31 - After extended discussions with the club throughout the season, and the fact that Primera Liga football cannot be guarantueed next season Swaine has asked for a transfer to China for one last large contract so he continue the work of the Chester Swaine Foundation. Swaine accumulated 135 appearences for the club creating over 66 points and appearing in the Xpert Eleven 35 times. He has been a superb club captain to the club, captaining the X11 three times, and now there is a great deal of discussion in the club as to who will succeed Swaine as Club Captain. *'Severin Hedåkers' (Dun Carrig Bohs / Pansy Prussians / Syracuse Salty Dogs) midfielder, 34 years - signed as a free agent (cost $5,900,000) by Dun Carrig Bohs in Season 6 and played in 152 matches for Dun Carrig Bohs, Pansy Prussians, and Syracuse Salty Dogs. His best campaign came in Season 7 when he scored 13 goals and 11 assists in 26 matches. He retired 3rd in career games played (152) for the club, 2nd in career goals (52), 2nd in career assists (35), and the club's all-time points scorer (87). *'Hamilton Verger' (Guajolotes) midfielder, aged 37 - he finished with 130 matches played (7th), 70 points (1st), 27 goals (5th), 43 assists (t-1st), 21 yellow cards (t-1st), 0 reds all time. He was named to the Liga all star team in seasons 9 and 10, and the All-Liga all star team in season 9. *'Rori Bass' (Debate Land Orators) midfielder, aged 34 - released on August 9, 2012 *'Eduardo Begoña' (Estrella Roja) fullback, aged 35 - he was named New-Comer of the Year in Season 2. That season, Begoña made the team-of-the-week 12 times, scored once and had 3 assists as the 24-year-old helped his team take the league by storm. *'Milan Bosch' (Transvaal Springboks) forward, age 25 - sold by the club for $4,383,120 on June 18, 2012. *'Codrut Dolhescu' (Swamplandia Sinners) midfielder, aged 35 - released just prior to the start of the season on May 3, 2012 *'Martinus Asaro' (Syracuse Salty Dogs) fullback, aged 34 - released during the off-season prior to Season 14 *'Charles Gilmore' (Dinamo FC) forward, aged 30 - sold for $599,760 on May 20, 2120. At the time of his departure, he was the all-time leading points (45) and goals (36) and third in career games played (92) for the Fatima FC / Dinamo FC club. *'Clint Gardiner' (Swamplandia Sinners) fullback, aged 34 *'Bill Yeoman' (Arcadia FC) fullback, aged 35 *'John Ellershaw' (Templar Forsworn) forward, aged 33 *'David McMuffin' (Keville United FC) forward, aged 34 *'Buck McKnight' (Debate Land Orators) midfielder, aged 34 *'Melvin Fields' (Debate Land Orators) forward, aged 34 *'Mickey Garner' (RMI Armed Forces FC) fullback, aged 37 *'Danny Glass' (RMI Armed Forces FC) midfielder, aged 36 *'Logi Tómasson' (Ocean´s Gold) fullback, aged 34 - was on the original line-up of Ocean's Gold. He played 42 matches for the golden boys in seasons 12 to 14 before retiring. *'Ade Ibehre' (Dinamo FC) midfielder, aged 35 *'Su Hyo Hwa' (Vanderbilt Commodores) goalkeeper, aged 35 *'Herman Devenoge' (Vanderbilt Commodores) forward, aged 34 *'Gaizka Zalbidegoitia' (Estrella Roja) midfielder, aged 26 - released at the conclusion of the season after 87 games for the club. League MVP insert text All-Liga Mundo All-Star Team Career Milestones *'Bodo Kreuzer' (Dynamo Dorpat) forward; played 200th match on May 21, 2012 *'Charlie Purser' (Arcadia FC) – midfielder; played 200th match on June 14, 2012 *'Stien van Buyten' (Transvaal Springboks) – midfielder; played 200th match on June 18, 2012 *'Dermott Kewell' (Arcadia FC) – forward; played 200th match on July 26, 2012 Manager of the Season Unlike the previous season when MudBug won the award in a run-away fashion by a 15-point lead, Season 14 witnessed a major shift towards overall manager parity in Liga Mundo as the competition between managers of all three divisions was intensely close. So close infact, that for the first-time ever, the Liga Mundo Manager Of The Season Award is split between two managers: Arcadian_Empire (Arcadia FC) and Reichlep (VolNation Volunteers) who both finished tied in the Manager Rankings with 9 points each. 9 points is the lowest ever points-total required to take home the trophy - and the lowest since St6mm won the award in Season 10 with just 10 points and MudBug followed the next season, also with 10 points. What makes this season's co-winners so unique (apart from the tie) is that St6mm won it as a Segunda manager while MudBug won it in Season 11 when there were only two divisions - therefore both their points totals were artificially low due to divisional circumstances. This season only required three weeks of Manager X11 selections to win. The award rankings are based on point totals accumulated during the regular season for each round of matches. Primera managers earn 3 points per X11 Manager selection, Segunda managers 2 points, and Tercera managers 1 point. FINAL MANAGER RANKINGS *Arcadian_Empire (Arcadia FC) = 9 *Reichlep (VolNation Volunteers) = 9 *Cyphon88 (Templar Forsworn) = 8 *CodFCS (Ocean´s Gold) = 8 *MudBug (Swamplandia Sinners) = 6 *Runningcow (Guajolotes) = 6 *St6mm (Dynamo Dorpat) = 6 *Afrey22 (Firedog SC) = 5 *Wwwilliewigham (Clachnacuddin) = 4 *AlaricZidane (Marseille FC) = 4 *BaronZemo (Nordheim Badgers FC) = 4 *Nanxi (Bethlehem FC) = 3 *Botha (Transvaal Springboks) = 3 *Creichle (Connecticut Bomers FC) = 3 *Sherman530 (The Fighting Sherms) = 2 *Firewater (Debate Land Orators) = 2 *Rob26480 (Atlético Melloria) = 2 Copa Cato VII First Round Matches played on May 7 and May 14, 2012 *Connecticut Bomer FC defeated The Fighting Sherms (4-0; 0-0) *Syracuse Salty Dogs defeated Bethlehem FC (3-2; 1-) *Transvaal Springboks defeated Estrella Roja (1-3; 2-0) *Templar Forsworn defeated De Bushalte FC (4-1; 5-0) *Keville United FC defeated Vanderbilt Commodores (3-1; 7-0) *Dinamo FC defeated Firedog SC (3-0: 2-0) *Clachnacuddin defeated RMI Armed Forces FC (2-1; 3-1) *Ocean´s Gold defeated Atlético Melloria (6-0; 1-2) Second Round Matches played on May 21 and May 28, 2012 *VolNation Volunteers defeated Ocean´s Gold (3-0; 1-0) *Guajolotes defeated Clachnacuddin (1-1; 5-1) *Dynamo Dorpat defeated Dinamo FC (3-2; 3-0) *Keville United FC defeated Marseille FC (2-1; 0-0) *Templar Forsworn defeated Swamplandia Sinners (2-0; 2-1) *Transvaal Springboks defeated Arcadia FC (1-1; 3-3) *Syracuse Salty Dogs defeated Debate Land Orators (4-1; 0-0) *Connecticut Bomer FC defeated Nordheim Badgers FC (0-2; 3-1) Quarter-Finals Matches played on June 4 and June 11, 2012 *Connecticut Bomer FC defeated VolNation Volunteers (2-2; 5-0) *Syracuse Salty Dogs defeated Guajolotes (2-1; 1-0) *Transvaal Springboks defeated Dynamo Dorpat (3-2; 2-2) *Keville United FC defeated Templar Forsworn (1-0; 2-0) Semi-Finals Matches played on June 18 and June 25, 2012 *Connecticut Bomer FC defeated Keville United FC (0-1; 4-1) *Syracuse Salty Dogs defeated Transvaal Springboks (0-1; 5-2) Copa Cato VII Finals Matches played on July 2 and July 9, 2012 *Syracuse Salty Dogs defeated Connecticut Bomer FC (2-0; 0-0) Press Releases & Previews APRIL 26, 2012 - Segunda Liga Preview Roll up, roll up, it's the Segunda Liga preview. Where we, the Templar commentoriat go through the teams in the Segunda, rate them, and make our bold predictions for the coming season. Team Name: Atlético Melloria Last season: 6th in the Segunda Liga Squad value: 60 878 951 econ Strengths: A strong core of experienced players will help Melloria compete throughout the season. Weaknesses: With their lack of depth, injuries to key positions could put Melloria in trouble. But bringing the weakest frontline to the liga could hamper progress beyond last season's 6th place. Star player: Watch Yury Nogaev organise the Mellorian defense and chip in with the occasional goal. One to watch: Gordon MacAdam – the young full back should develop nicely this season, providing additional stability to the defence while offering the team further attacking width. Prediction: 6th – May struggle this season in a competitive Segunda Liga Team Name: Debate Land Orators Last season: 5th in the Segunda Liga Squad value: 36 702 472 econ Strengths: All of the Orator's successes this season will be built on their strong defence. Weaknesses: But their weak midfield may provide other teams with the time to assault their stronghold defence. Star player: Colin Loosley is the Orator's defensive bedrock, leading by example. One to watch: Adrian Hatfield is a promising young midfielder who brings youthful vigour and threat to the Orators midfield. Prediction: 5th – Their strong defence should hold off anaemic attacks, but their inability to control the midfield battle will hamper progression. Team Name: Kelville United FC Last season: 4th in the Segunda Liga Squad value: 71 836 681 econ Strengths: The experienced Kelville midfield will look to dominate the matches and help propel Utd up the league. Weaknesses: If Ted Rotenston gets injured, Kelville may struggle to convert midfield dominance into productive effect. Star player: Azad Urmia – expect him to be top of the points charts with Maddison and Florés One to watch: Drew Ross is heralded as the long term replacement to Rotenston, expect him to contribute to the Kelville offense this season. Prediction: 3rd – Should be in the battle for promotion until the very last stages of the season with an all round strong team. Progression is to be expected. Team Name: Marseille FC Last season: 8th in the Primera Liga Squad value: 141 676 441 econ Strengths: The Marseille front three should wreak havoc in the Segunda wherever they go. Weaknesses: This season? None. In the long run they could be in trouble. Star player: Alejo Moisés should ensure that any goals conceded are few and far between. One to watch: Rolandiñho Boa Monréal – Should continue to develop over the season and will assist in feeding the beast like front three of Marseille. Prediction: 1st – With a new manager in place they should return to the Primera Liga without breaking a sweat. Team Name: Nordheim Badgers FC Last season: 7th in the Primera Liga Squad value: 91 120 105 econ Strengths: It's all about the defence for the Badgers, should you somehow break through their backline, then there are a choice of two top quality goalkeepers to keep most teams out. That defence will score goals too in the form of MR Maddison. Weaknesses: Their offence shows the extent to which the Badgers rely on Maddison. Pontare has seen better days and the Badger's goal threat will come from set pieces and Chelsea style breakouts. Star player: MR Maddison, captain fantastic of the Badgers. One to watch: Tomer Netter – Will continue to develop and with no bad luck should eradicate the Badger's offensive weaknesses in the future. Prediction: 2nd - Their strong defense should see them through. They will be pushed by the likes of Kelville though. Team Name: Ocean's Gold Last season: 2nd in the Tercera Liga Squad value: 43 904 181 econ Strengths: Their strength in depth. The Golden boys are built on good teamwork and organisation, and even if one player has to step out of the team, another cog can replace him to minimal disruption to the team. Weaknesses: There's no stellar quality to this team. Every point will be won on grit and determination of the entire team, but sometimes, that just isn't enough. Star player: Hilmar Helmersen - If the Golden boys stay up, it's because this man will have consistently performed over the season One to watch: Steinn Ármannsson - Will look to take over the mantle of Logi as he makes his swansong season. Don't be surprised to see Steinn deployed to great effect all over the pitch. Prediction: 7th – Ultimately they may lack the the concentrated quality to survive in the Segunda, a tough season awaits. Team Name: RMI Armed Forces FC Last season: 1st in the Tercera Liga Squad value: 26 388 152 econ Strengths: Thorpe and Harmon are the heartbeat of this team, when they play well, the entire team does. Weaknesses: That for the team to survive, they will over depend on these two payers in an ageing squad. Star player: Thorpe is the Gerrard of the team, but for the Forces to survive the Segunda Harmon needs to play out of his skin for every single game. One to watch: Payton Moore – the youngester's set piece abilities will be needed to chip into the Force's goal tally this season. Prediction: 8th – The ageing Forces are in for a long season. Team Name: Templar Forsworn Last season: 3rd in the Segunda Squad value: 102 410 000 econ Strengths: The Forsworn are jacks of all trades, they can match any team on their day, but ultimately if they face a master in one particular area of the field, they may struggle. Weaknesses: Their extreme youth, the club lacks the experience to be able to utilise all of the skill they have. Star player: Roger Boyes, the 22 year old looks set to be the creative torch for the Forsworn. One to watch: Greg Perry, the midfielder looks to be another superb midfield product from the Forsworn youth academy. Prediction: 4th APRIL 29, 2012 - Commissioner re-opens Hall of Fame Commissioner Bartnel Botha today officially opened the doors to the refurbished Liga Mundo Hall of Fame. Located adjacent to Neyland Stadium in VolNation, the hall of fame houses and documents the historical achievement records for both players and teams. “The original hall of fame, which was built by our Founder and first commissioner, PremierApex/Cato Caledon, had fallen on hard times and had been moribund since June of 2009 – back in Liga Mundo Season 5. During that time, player records had come and gone but nothing was documented except what team managers managed to retain. As teams and managers came and went, more of these records from our history were irrecovably lost.” “With this new hall, while the accuracy is as best as could be determined going through our old media guides, it now provides the league a new starting point to move forward from, in regards to player and team achievement records.” Managers are encouraged to contact the commissioner with any discovered or surpassed records that may come to their attention. These will then be vereified and approved by the commissioner. AUGUST 18, 2012 - VolNation Hero Announces Retirement In a major press conference attended by all current and former VolNation players and staff, origonal VolNation forward Chad Goodwin stepped up the the podium and announced his retirement today. "Today, I am coming to announce my retirement from play, effective today. 14 seasons ago, when Coach Philip was first putting together a VolNation team to compete among all the best across Planet Bob, I was honored to be one of those asked to represent VolNation in this prestigious new league. The initial honor was only supersceded by the privelige on competing alongside all the great players that have worn the VolNation jersey, and against the finest of Planet Bob." "The chemistry of our club in the early season were just incredible, with our team achieving a terrific cohesion that lasts through today, as evidenced by the longevity of the VolNation players with the club today and the presence of the players at this gathering. This contributed in great measure to our successes, most notably the titles in the first three seasons." "I have been mulling over retirement for a number of seasons, but 3 seasons ago, my #1 mate, Ian Robertson, told me that he thought we had the tools to make one more great run like we did at the beginning. Because of that comment, all thoughts of retirement left and I repurposed myself to giving direction and inspiration to the next generation of players that they could pull off this unlikeliest of feats.Robertson's prediction was spot-on, and I am proud to have been part of this great feat that has provided a bookend to my career. I can now say that I leave in just the same way I joined the team: a champion!" "I am going now to join a host of former VolNation players in the front office, taking a position coaching the next generation of forwards, providing inspiration and leadership so that the next generation of VolNation forwards will have someonewho has done it encouraging them that they can do it, too. Upward and onward to greatness!" Goodwin's career has definately been marked by greatness.In 14 seasons, Goodwin has been a part of 7 titles and 7 cups won by VolNation over that time. Goodwin has also shown a great capacity for individual greatness in the Liga Primera, garnering Most points in the Primera in both seasons 4 and 7, second in the Primera for scoring in Seasons 2 and 6, second in points in season 3, second in assists in Season 4, third in scoring in season 1 and 3, and third in points in Season 1. (Many of the seconds and thirds were to his teammate, Ian Robertson.) For his career, Goodwin also has all the characteristics of greatness. In 222 matches, Goodwin has 140 career points from 99 goals and 48 assists. He also had 53 X-11 selections. In league play, Goodwin is 5th all time in the Liga Mundo and 3rd for VolNation in points with 107, in goals he is 5th all time in the Liga Mundo and second for VolNation with 77, in assists is 20th in the Liga (but 2nd among forwards) and 4th for VolNation with 30. He is also 5th among Liga forwards with X-11 nods with 37. For the Mighty Volunteers, Goodwin and Robertson were known as the "Dynamic Duo" and was for most of the history of the Liga one of the two most feared weapons in the VolNation arsenal. Of recent note, Goodwin was a major hammer in the Mighty Volunteers successful Season 13 Cato Cup run, contributing 7 points with 5 goals and 2 assists. Goodbye, Chad Goodwin, truly one of the greats. AUGUST 29, 2012 - Goodbye to a Legend: Hamilton Verger At the end of Liga Mundo season 14, Guajolotes said goodbye to perhaps the most iconic player of the Runningcow era of the franchise: Hamilton Verger. When he joined the squad in the middle of season 8, as Runningcow's first signing when the franchise was still known as Compostella Artois, he was already the strongest outfield player on the team. His signing signaled to everyone in Liga Mundo that Runningcow intended to build the team around a strong midfield. Indeed, that midfield developed around and was lead by Verger. He was 31 years old at signing, and many suspected he was past his prime. Over the next six seasons, Verger proved his critics wrong. He was, without doubt, the most productive player in Guajolotes franchise history. Verger spent his first seasons in Liga Mundo as the lead attacking midfielder of what was essentially a Primera-caliber midfield in Tercera and Segunda Ligas. Every week, he treated Liga Mundo crowds to a show, running circles around younger but less capable competition, quickly earning a reputation for his ability to see offensive opportunities as they developed. Verger emerged immediately as a dual offensive threat. He could exploit defensive weaknesses and score himself, but showed an almost equal skill in creating opportunities for his teammates. For every goal he was able to score himself, he often made two timely passes to open up a scoring chance for someone else. By the time Guajolotes arrived in the Primera, Verger's age was beginning to show, as other midfielders such as Dave Murty and Lincoln Key had stepped up to fill the leading roll. Still, Verger remained a vital part of the offense. His consistency even into his mid-thirties showed up on the stat sheet. Verger's career mark in points soon rose to the top of the all time list for the Guajolotes franchise. His maturity brought intangible benefits in the locker room. As players with disparate backgrounds and personalities moved in and out of the team, Verger was a constant on the offense, always ensuring that the team played well as a unit, not just a collection of talented players. Even though he was known for his consistency, verger also had a temper. Throughout his career, he wasn't afraid of making physical challenges on opposing players. The Liga Mundo referees didn't always approve of his moves, and his response to their whistles often earned him fouls and yellow cards, a mark in which he also tops the Guajolotes all time list. Going into its first season without Hamilton Verger, Guajolotes continues its tradition of strength in the midfield. While they may be able to fill in for his production on the field, they will always fondly remember Hamilton Verger. He retired a legend for Guajolotes in every sense of the word, and will be celebrated for many seasons to come. Verger finished with 130 matches played (7th), 70 points (1st), 27 goals (5th), 43 assists (t-1st), 21 yellow cards (t-1st), 0 reds all time. He was named to the Liga all star team in seasons 9 and 10, and the All-Liga all star team in season 9. Team Pages *Arcadia FC *Estrella Roja *Guajolotes *Transvaal Springboks Category:Liga Mundo Category:Sports Category:Soccer Category:United Cybernations Football Associations